A tourist in Syria observed with interest how a shepherd drove all his sheep into a sheepfold one evening. The fold was an enclosing wall with only one opening. On that opening he noticed that there was neither door nor gate. He remarked to the shepherd: “Can’t wild beasts get in there?” “No,” answered the shepherd, “because I am the door. When the sheep are in for the night, I lie down across that doorway. No sheep can get out except over my body, and no wolf or thief can get in except over me.” ¹ Today, we are going to look at the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter Daleth which means door. ²

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Daleth: The Fourth Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet

• It is equivalent to ‘d’ in the English alphabet.
• Definition: the door

Daleth As an Entrance or Exit

• In scripture, Daleth is used of entrances or exits.
• It is used of doors or gates which open and shut.
• Gates were used as entrances into a palace, camp, temple, but especially a city.
• The principal purpose of city gates was to make entrance and exit through its walls possible and to make the city secure.
• They were also used for many public purposes in the economy of the state.
• The elders of the city sat in the administration of justice at the gates of the city (Ruth 4:1)
• It was at the gate that King sat to meet with their subjects and make legal decisions (2 Samuel 19:8).
• Priests and prophets sometimes delivered their discourses, admonitions, and prophecies at the gate. (2 Kings 7:1)
• The first legal transaction recorded in the Bible, that of Abraham’s purchase of the cave off Machpelah, as a burial place for Sarah, was completed at the gate of the city of Hebron (Genesis 23:10,18).
• Gates were secured by strong locks of brass, iron, or wood and normally consisted of two halves (Isa. 45:1).
• The keys to the gates were large sometimes more than two feet in length (Isa. 22:22).

Daleth and the Gate of the City

• The Bible uses the phrase “possessing the gate”.
• If you possessed the gate of a city, you possessed the city itself (Genesis 24:60).
• The gate is open during the daytime in order for people to go out at work in the fields and do whatever business daylight requires.
• As the gate is open until evening, the people come back through this same gate.
• Then, as night falls the gate close is closed so hostile enemies and armies are shut out, and the peaceful citizens are safely shut in.
• We read in the scriptures that in the Messianic age the gates of Jerusalem shall not be shut day or night.
• They shall be open continually to receive tribute of all nations that will come up to Jerusalem in order to honor Israel and submit to her Messiah.

Isaiah 60:11 (KJV)
11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

Jesus and Daleth

• In the Gospel of John there are seven ‘I am’ statements that Jesus made concerning Himself. There is much to learn about Jesus just by studying these names.

John 10:9 (KJV)
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

• There are 7 descriptions Jesus makes of himself. They are called the “I am’s” of Christ:
  • I am the bread of life (John 6:35).
  • I am the light of the world (John 8:12).
  • I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
  • I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6).
  • I am the true vine. (John 15:1).
• The final two of them are here in John 10.
  • I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).
  • I am the DOOR (John 10:9).
• Jesus boldly declares in John 10 that He is “Daleth”, the 4th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

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John 10:10 (KJV)
¹⁰ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

• We need to define who is who in John 10.
• Jesus already told us He is the DOOR (Daleth) of verses one.
• But, who is the thief and robber of verse one?
• Most people when they hear the phrase “thief and robber”, think of the verse a little further in John 10.

John 10:10 (KJV)
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

• They immediately think of the devil as being the thief and robber of verse one.
• He is a thief and a robber for sure but he is not the specific thief and robber referred to in John 10:1.
• If you think so, you miss the whole point of the parable.
• Jesus tells you exactly who the thief is of verse one.
• The thief and robber is someone who “tries to enter the sheepfold some other way.”
• It would help us to know what a sheepfold is?
• The sheepfold was an enclosure made in fields where the sheep were collected by night to defend them from robbers and wolves as in the opening paragraph above.
• It was not commonly covered, as the seasons in Judea were mild. It only had one door and the shepherd would post himself at that door to protect the sheep.
• According to verse one, the thief is an individual who wants to get into the sheep by some other way besides the door.

False Religion: The Thief and Robber of John 10:1

• What is false religion?
• False religion is man’s attempt to try to get to God some other way than Jesus.
• It’s man’s attempt to enter the sheepfold without going through Daleth.
• False religion is a thief and a robber of the blessings which can only be found in Christ.
• It steals a man’s life all the while deceiving him into thinking heaven is his home.
• Now, there’s more information on the subject of spiritual doors in the life of a believer in a video called Jesus the Door: Understanding and Knowing Jesus by His Names. You can watch this video by clicking on the link.
• Let’s go on from here and look at some general Bible doors as opposed to specific will of God for your life doors.

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Psalm 119:25-32 and Daleth

25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.
26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.
30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.

• The letter Daleth is in the word “my/the way(s)”.
• According to Strong’s concordance the word “ways” means – road (as trodden); figuratively a course of life or mode of action.
• If I am going to embark on a course of action, I have to choose a door.
• There used to be a game show called “Let’s Make a Deal.” In the show, you had the opportunity to pick a door. When you did, you received the prize that was behind it. You could pick Door #1 or Door #2 or Door #3.
• There are doors (Daleth) you can pick in Psalm 119.
• What do you get when you pick one of these doors in Psalm 119?
• When you pick a door, you get the “way” which is behind it.
• You can pick the way (Daleth) of lying. – vs. 29.
• Or, you can pick the way (Daleth) of God’s precepts or truth – vs. 30.
• Jesus said some interesting things about the way in Mathew’s gospel.

Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV)
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

• Did you notice you have to walk through the gate to get to the way?
• If the gate you walk through is wide so is the way behind it. Wide is the gate and broad is the way.
• When you pick the door, you get the way behind it.
• Jesus equated the gate with the way.
• Narrow is the gate which leads to life.
• If you choose the Daleth of life, the gate of life, that gate is a narrow gate which means a narrow way.

John 14:6 (KJV )
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus said, I am the WAY, the truth and the life.”

• Now, you remember in John 10, Jesus said I am the Door. Here in John 14, He says I am the way.
• When you pick the right door, the way of salvation as laid out in the Bible, when that door swings open Jesus is on the other side.
• Did you know that early Christianity was called “The Way?”
• There are five different references in the Book of Acts to this end.

Acts 9:2 (KJV)
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Acts 18:25 (KJV)
25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

Acts 19:9 (KJV)
9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.

Acts 19:23 (KJV)
²³ And the same time there arose no small stir about that way.

Acts 22:4 (KJV)
4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

• Christianity was called the Way.
• Anybody who tries to get into the Way any other way is a thief and a robber.
• There’s only one way to get into the flow of the Way, you have to come through Jesus the Door.
• In the living pictures of the Hebrew alphabet, we yet again see another picture of Jesus. We see Jesus as Daleth, the open door.

Call to Action:

The door is one of the most important parts of a house. You cannot access anything in a house without a door. Think of your spiritual life on planet earth, your spiritual journey, as a house with doors. If you haven’t started your journey, you can do right now. Everything we’ve spoken of in this podcast points to Jesus. You can encounter Jesus. You can come to know Him. You can receive Him into your heart and life. Jesus was and is the only sacrifice for your sins. He is the only doorway to heaven. Pray this prayer with me.

Father God, I come to you now in the Name of Jesus your Son. I do believe He died for my sins. I receive Him right into my heart. Thank you for saving me. I now declare Jesus as my Lord.

Episode Resources

You can find more information on The Hidden Power of the Hebrew Alphabet by visiting the following posts:

1. The Hidden Power of the Hebrew Alphabet [Podcast]
2. More The Hidden Power of the Hebrew Alphabet [Podcast]
3. Jesus Is the Open Door [Video]

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